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THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE
March 12-13, 1997
Washington, D.C.
1997 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the most remarkable events in American history: the Truman Doctrine. The decision by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to intervene in Greece to counter the threat of Soviet communism represented a turning point in world history. It committed the United States to the policy of containment of the Soviet Union. In terms of the preservation of human freedom and dignity, this policy represents perhaps the most successful foreign policy initiative undertaken by the United States, culminating as it did in the fall of European communities in 1991.
To commemorate this event and to mark its inception in Greece, the Academy of Political Science co-sponsored a conference that was held in Washington, D.C., on March 12-13, 1997 with the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
Distinguished speakers, some of whom were active participants in the dramatic events of that era, recreated the atmosphere of the time. They discussed the background to President Truman's historic decision and its impact and legacy.
The conference also looked forward. Discussions were held on the current balance of power in the Mediterranean and its implications for United States policy toward this strategically vital area.
CONFERENCE SESSIONS
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THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE: FROM INCEPTION TO IMPLEMENTATION Chair: LARRY J. HACKMAN--Director, Truman Library Keynote Speaker: PROFESSOR ALONZO HAMBY--Ohio University "Harry S. Truman and the Decision to Contain Communism in Greece" DR. LARRY I. BLAND--Editor of the George C. Marshall Papers, Marshall Foundation "Evolution of the Truman Doctrine/Marshall Plan" JAMES C. WARREN, JR.--U.S. Economic Mission to Greece "Implementing the Truman Doctrine: The Economic Recovery of Greece" GEORGE ELSEY--President Truman's speechwriter "Impressions of a Speechwriter" Address: PROFESSOR WILLIAM H. McNEILL--The Robert A. Milliken Distinguished Service; Professor Emeritus of History, University of Chicago "American Perceptions of Greece, 1944-1947: Reminiscences of an Eyewitness" |
THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE: IMPACT AND LEGACY Chair: PROFESSOR JOHN O. IATRIDES--Southern Connecticut State University Keynote Speaker: AMBASSADOR MONTEAGLE STEARNS, Retired "The U.S.-Greek Strategic Relationship During the Cold War and Beyond" PROFESSOR ATHANASSIOS PLATIAS--Panteion University DR. VAN COUFOUDAKIS--Dean, School of Arts and Sciences; Indiana University-Purdue University EUGENE T. ROSSIDES, Esq.--Senior Counsel, Rogers & Wells; President, American Hellenic Institute Foundation |
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GREECE'S STRATEGIC IMORTANCE: THE MILITARY DIMENSION Chair: PROFESSOR DEMETRIOS CARALEY--Professor of Political Science, Barnard College; President of The Academy of Political Science and Editor of the Political Science Quarterly Keynote Speaker: LAWRENCE KORB--Brookings Institution; former Assistant Secretary of Defense "The Strategic Importance of Greece to the Balance of Power in the Mediterranean and Europe" ADMIRAL HENRY MUSTIN--United States Navy, Retired "The Strategic Importance of Greece from the Truman Doctrine to the Present" DR. PAUL F. BRAIM--Embry-Riddle University "General James A. Van Fleet and the U.S. Military Mission to Greece" LIEUTENANT GENERAL PHOTIOS METALLINOS--Retired; Special Analyst in International Relations, Hellenic Institute of Strategic Studies Speaker: GENERAL ANDREW J. GOODPASTER--United States Army, Retired "The Truman Doctrine: A Turning Point in World History" |
THE GREEK CRISIS: PRELUDE TO THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE Chair: LIEUTENANT GENERAL PERICLES PAPATHANASSIOU--Retired PROFESSOR BASIL KONDIS--Director, Institute for Balkan Studies "The U.S. Role in the Greek Civil War" PROFESSOR P. NIKIFOROS DIAMANDOUROS--University of Athens "The Crisis of the 1940s and the Road to Democratic Stability" PROFESSOR THEODORE A. COULOUMBIS--University of Athens "Greece and the United States" |